CAPE COD BASEBALL LEAGUE: Managers have a shared history

Wednesday

Jul 9, 2014 at 2:38 PMJul 9, 2014 at 2:45 PM

A Sunday evening battle between Bourne and Falmouth in the shadows of the Bourne Bridge is more than just any game. Not only was it a clash between the top two teams in the Western Division, but it was between two of the longest tenured and most respected managers in the Cape Cod Baseball League. Bourne's Harvey Shapiro and Falmouth's Jeff Trundy have each been involved in the league for at least 20 years, and have careers very much intertwined together. They have seen the league grow to unprecedented heights, and while in many ways that is great, it also comes at a price.

Matt Pulsifer

A Sunday evening battle between Bourne and Falmouth in the shadows of the Bourne Bridge is more than just any game. Not only was it a clash between the top two teams in the Western Division, but it was between two of the longest tenured and most respected managers in the Cape Cod Baseball League.

Bourne's Harvey Shapiro and Falmouth's Jeff Trundy have each been involved in the league for at least 20 years, and have careers very much intertwined together. They have seen the league grow to unprecedented heights, and while in many ways that is great, it also comes at a price.

Shapiro came to the league first because of mentor Archie Allen, then the league commissioner, who knew Shapiro from his days at Springfield College. Allen helped Shapiro get assistant jobs with Yarmouth-Dennis and Wareham before getting his first head coaching gig at Falmouth in 1994.

"I had always coached in the summer and had also done some international coaching," said Shapiro. "I had wanted to get involved with the Cape, and Allen helped with that."

In 1994, it was Chuck Sturtevant who hired Shapiro to Falmouth, and now, two decades later, the two are back together wih Sturtevant the Bourne general manager.

A year after Shapiro took over at Falmouth, Trundy followed Mike Couts to Cotuit as an assistant coach. After two seasons, Couts left the league, and Trundy got an opportunity to be an assistant at Falmouth under Shapiro. The two had worked together at Bowdoin College, so it was a great fit for two years.

"My two years here with Harvey were very enjoyable," said Trundy. "I feel indebted to him because if it wasn't for him, I wouldn't be standing here today. There is a special place in my heart for those two guys [Shapiro and Couts]."

After two years, Shapiro moved on and Trundy took over the head job. Shapiro came back to the league in 2003 with Bourne where he has been ever since.

So much has changed with the league since both men started. When Shapiro started, there were 18-man rosters. Currently, the Bourne roster lists 27 active players. That number allows for the temporary players to be around longer. According to Trundy, most of the temporary players when he started were local kids who didn't stay around very long. Now, players from around the country come just for a chance, and many stick around much longer than in the past.

As with all sports, money has changed the game ove the past 20 years. In the past, foul balls had to be returned to the teams. Now, that is no longer the case. But the money potentially available to the athletes down the line is the biggest change. "The league has always been heavily scouted," says Trundy. "But now it isn't just teams, it is agents."

Shapiro agrees. "You used to just talk to the kids and their parents," he said. "Now you’re talking to the agents. I think most kids really do want to be here, but I think some think it's just something they have to do in order to make it to the next level."

What used to be a handful of radar guns behind home plate and a small mention in the paper has turned into dozens of guns, scouting services and coverage in every local paper.

"My only concern is to provide these kids with a great experience," said Trundy. "I want them to have a good time and go back to school saying this was the best summer of their lives. These are kids who, yes, are blessed with great talent, but are just kids who love baseball and I just want them to have the chance to play."